Lingering Lotus
by xBitterSweetx101
Summary: What really happened while Sasuke was training with Orochimaru? What if he met a powerful friend, a traitor like himself, a useful ally, his lover? I suck at summaries, but please take a look. Please R&R! SasuxOC. Rated T for language.
1. Chapter 1

**Please review! My first Naruto fanfic so don't be THAT harsh. **

**Disclaimer: Dear Santa...**

Chapter One

Chihiro crouched, ready to attack. She waited for the increase in Lord Orochimaru's chakra as her shadow clones threw kunais at the target, deliberately missing. As soon as she sensed her lord's chakra going up, she started to concentrate, using her Byakugan to see him. He was crouching on a fragile tree branch, his entire body tensed up, anticipating an attack. Suddenly, his hands started to form the signs that would activate his infamously destructive signature jutsu. Chihiro threw a kunai at a neighboring tree to distract him. It worked. His eyes snapped open and he lost his concentration.

Chihiro concentrated as her shadow clones distracted him once more. She felt immense loads of chakra flowing into her body, restless. She leaped down to the field, narrowly missing the kunais he threw in her direction.

"Come down. It's no use hiding in those trees. I can see you anyway," Chihiro called, her voice soft but clear. She saw him moving to from one tree to the next with amazing speed. She used her Heavenly Spin, feeling her waist-length black hair flying behind her as she deflected the oncoming kunais. He landed softly behind her just as she stopped spinning. Standing perfectly still, she waited until the last minute to use her Substitution jutsu, turning into a lifeless log at his feet and grabbing a kunai from her belt as she reappeared behind him. She put the kunai to his throat and heard clapping.

Lord Orochimaru stepped out from the shady cover of the trees. Chihiro released him as soon as she heard her lord coming. He turned his eyes at at the boy.

"Well done, Uchiha Sasuke. Although you could have done better." Orochimaru looked at Sasuke meaningfully and turned his snake-like gaze on Chihiro. He nodded approvingly at her, who returned the gesture.

"My lord," she said. "Excuse me, but I have some matters to attend to."

"Of course. Excellent display of your skills, Chihiro. I shall see to it that you will spar with him more often."

"Yes, my lord." Chihiro bowed her head and with one last lingering look at Sasuke—whose face was an expressionless mask—she disappeared with a 'poof', leaving behind lotus petals that floated slowly to the ground.

**Well, did you like it? Whether you liked or not, please leave a review. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's Chapter Two!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, he would eat all my ramen--not that I mind, I only have stupid chicken ramen...**

* * *

Chihiro walked slowly to the nursery, where a few young ninja where waiting for her. She felt a tiny stab of pity as she thought of what would happen to them when Lord Orochimaru needed another body. The feeling quickly went away, though. Here in the village, it was considered a great honor for a person if they sacrificed their body to him.

"Come on, Hiro-chan! Let's play!" Chihiro smiled. She had been raising these three kids ever since they were found orphaned in the forest. While they were younger, they couldn't say "Chihiro" correctly, so they just called her "Hiro" and it stuck. She laughed and ruffled a ninja's sandy colored hair.

"Not right now, Eiji." I'm gonna teach you guys how to control your chakra today, remember?"

"Whaaaatt...?" he said, He put his finger to his chin, thinking. "Oh yeaaahhh... We're going tree climbing!!" He called to the others. Takara smiled. She was a sweet child, who had great control over her chakra. Akeno scowled. He was the oldest of the group, being 9 years old.

"What's the point of training when you can't go the Chuunin Exams?"

"When you guys are ready, we'll send you off to the Chuunin Exams, Akeno. You could get killed if you don't train properly and maintain control of your abilities." He crossed his arms with a 'hmmph". Chihiro rolled her eyes and took hold of the other ninjas' hands.

"Come on. The more practice you have, the faster I can send you off to the Chunin exams." Akeno reluctantly walked over and went into the forest with Takara and Eiji. They stopped at a clearing of trees.

"Okay, you guys. First, focus your chakra into your feet." Chihiro exerted a small amount of chakra into her own to show an example. The ninjas nodded and clasped their hands together. Even at a young age, they had learned what chakra was and how to push it into a place in the body. "This is all you need to do. Maintain the hand position and walk to a tree. Then you walk up to the tree trunks and keep walking as high as you can go." She walked slowly up a tree trunk and stood upside-down on one of the branches. Takara's mouth dropped open and the boys' eyes widened. She jumped and landed right next to them.

"WOW!! Can we really do that?" Eiji added, speaking for the entire group. Chihiro nodded.

"But you guys need to stay balanced. Take these kunais. Use them to mark your spot right before you fall down." She gave them two kunais each.

"We're gonna FALL?!" Eiji yelled, his eyes popping out.

"You're going be fine," Chihiro said patronizingly, placing a hand on his shoulder. "The kunais are only for marking, so be careful with them. DON'T INJURE YOURSELF." She looked at Eiji meaningfully with her eyebrow raised. Eiji, in return, only shrugged.

"It was an accident..." he said, looking away.

"Okay! Let's get started!" Chihiro said, clapping her hands.

"HYUUGA CHIHIRO!! Get your ass here right this minute!" came a voice that was painfully clear. Chihiro swore under her breath and looked at the kids, who were looking at her with wide eyes.

"You guys heard nothing," she said, her eyes narrowing. They nodded nervously. "We'll continue this later," she said, and without another word, she disappeared.

* * *

"They've WHAT??" Chihiro yelled in surprise. "This early?!" Kabuto nodded grimly.

"The one called Haruno Sakura is coming this instant. But be careful. They've survived all of our traps as well."

"Fine. I'll take care of her," Chihiro grumbled. She started walking to the entrance of the room that the one called Sakura was supposedly going to enter.

"Wait," came another voice, different this time. It was Orochimaru. She turned around and bowed her head. "You will take him with you, understand?" Sasuke came out of the shadows. He nodded at Chihiro, obviously his form of greeting. She returned the gesture and turned to Kabuto.

"You do realize that I'm not going to take on the container of the Nine-Tailed Fox and the girl called Sakura all by myself, right? And with Sasuke watching, that would take more of our energy to protect him and keep him in our hands?"

"I'm still here, you know," Sasuke said, sounding annoyed. "I'm just going to be watching from this room. There's nothing to be so panicked about," he said, his cool voice filling the room.

"But how do we know that you'll stay here and not intervene as you watch your teammates fall?" Kabuto pointed out.

"Why would I? And besides, they're not my teammates anymore."

"Shhh!" Chihiro cut in sharply. She could hear something. A kind of scuffling. Then a crash.

A female voice seemed to say, "Naruto! Be careful!" Chihiro's eyes widened. Uzumaki Naruto. The container of the fearsome Kyuubi. She shook her head.

"Kabuto, you go first."

"What's the matter? Lord Orochimaru's favorite scared of the Nine-Tailed Fox?"

"Shut up! Just go!"

"Fine. But mind you, I _will_ be telling Lord Orochimaru about this," Kabuto's voice taunting her. She could almost see a smirk. He disappeared without a trace before Chihiro could hurt him. She and Sasuke peered out of the hole in the wall, so close it made Chihiro uncomfortable. She could see Kabuto perfectly relaxed, although his jaw was set; the only sign that he was just as tense as Sakura was.

Haruno Sakura had pink hair and a small face. She looked disheveled. Chihiro activated her Byakugan and felt Sasuke's almost-silent gasp as he sensed her power. Chihiro smirked. She knew that Sasuke had come here to gain power, but with many years of training in the base, Chihiro had seemingly immeasurable amounts of it. She heard Kabuto's voice welcome the Haruno girl. Chihiro took a deep breath. The battle had begun.


	3. Chapter 3

**Okay, so I found out that some people have been adding me to their alerts and what not, and I'd like to say thanks for all your support! :) And secondly, can someone just review once, at least?**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto and the only person I do own is Chihiro... :(**

**Sorry if the chapters are too short. They will get longer as the story goes on and the plot line becomes more advanced.**

* * *

Sasuke's P.O.V:

I couldn't keep up with Chihiro as we were sparring. She was way too clever. But that won't stop me. I'll come up with a way to defeat her, just like I did to all my other rivals. Besides, she's lucky I didn't use the second level of my curse mark on her. She wasn't worth it, anyway. It was only a sparring match, and that thing takes away too much of my chakra. For some reason, I kept smelling her lotus petals in my head and I couldn't get it out.

_She disappeared with a 'poof'. A cluster of lotus petals were the only things that signified that she was here at all. _

Even now, I can't believe a member of the "exclusive" Hyuuga clan deserted them and started to work under Orochimaru. That's a disgrace. Even I wouldn't do that. But Itachi definitely would. My thoughts altered to words of hatred to Itachi. I heard Orochimaru coming.

"Sasuke, you will need to watch something," he had said in that despicable voice of his. I asked why, and he said, "You need to see the powers that the curse mark can open up to."

"I already know."

"Kabuto and Chihiro will be fighting your teammates. Haruno Sakura and Uzumaki Naruto, I presume." My interest had sparked up immediately. So they had survived the traps? And what was it with Chihiro that made her special enough to fight those two with Kabuto?

Careful to keep my voice grudging, I nodded and said, "Fine." I disappeared and reappeared in a dim room. Judging by the voices, Chihiro and Kabuto were arguing. With a sigh, she started towards the door. I sensed Orochimaru appear beside me and I stepped back.

"Wait," he had said. "You will take him with you, understand?" After nodding at Chihiro as my sign of greeting, I had crouched down at a hole in the wall, along with Chihiro. She had been scared to face Naruto and called him "Uzumaki Naruto, the 'container' of the Nine-Tailed Fox." It took all my willpower not to smirk. Chihiro, the girl who had defeated me through sheer brilliance (though not for long), scared of NARUTO? Kabuto couldn't hold a smirk back himself, though.

She probably got tired of squishing in with me, so she had used her Byakugan to see through the hole and beyond. I honestly didn't care; I was too busy watching a disheveled Sakura grow impatient as Kabuto conversed with her. But when I sensed her chakra release, I couldn't help but gasp. All that power. So close enough that I could just snatch it away. I could almost see Chihiro's smirk as she heard me. I felt her peel away and went to the far corner of the room to activate her Byakugan. She closed her milky white eyes, concentrating as veins popped up around her cloudy eyes.

**Okay, so I have a bit of a writer's block, so in the this week, I'll send what I DO have on my computer, and see if I can overcome that...sigh If you guys haven't seen my profile, I absolutely HATE writer's block...-.-'  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Okay, Chapter Four.**

**Here's the thing: The writer's block is kicking in right now and this is all I have on the computer. So it is pretty long since I decided to stretch out the details a bit. This chapter was originally two chapters, but they were really short apart and so I combined them. It's much longer now (Well, compared to the last chapter.)**

**Many thanks to NyNyFiction, who has left me a review for each chapter. Thanks for all your support! My first reviewer! WHOO!**

**Disclaimer: If I steal the Nauto characters, and make them do my bidding, does it mean I own them? (Just kidding)**

* * *

3rd POV:

The battle was fast-paced, and it turned out that Chihiro didn't need to interfere after all. Kabuto had used his last resort—he had connected his heart with Naruto's so if someone tried to kill him, Naruto would also die. In the end, Naruto and Sakura caught up with Jiraiya and went back to Konoha.

Moments later, Orochimaru and Kabuto came into the room. Kabuto was smirking and looking satisfied. Chihiro glared at him.

"Hyuuga Chihiro, I do not wish to kill you. I think that you are a valuable asset to my operation. But if you keep going on like this, I will be forced to kill you, do you understand?" Chihiro nodded slightly as an inkling of fear crept into her. "After all, you are no match for the fox. As my punishment, you and Uchiha will go to Konoha and see what they have on the Akatsuki." Chihiro felt Sasuke tense next to her. In spite of herself, her heart went out to him. She knew that under the veneer of power, calmness, and icy personality was just a little boy who wanted to see his family again. She caught his eye but he was glaring back.

Chihiro was a triple spy; she was sent by Orochimaru to go spy so she can update him to the happenings of Konoha, then she was sent by the Fifth Hokage to spy on Akatsuki. The Akatsuki found out about her, had mercy on her, thought she had potential and had her spy on Orochimaru himself. It was pretty complicated.

"But my lord, if I take Sasuke with me, then you can't train him, can you?" Chihiro pointed out, hoping to take Sasuke out of it. Despite the fact that Sasuke would love to fight his brother again, she didn't want him to come. Chihiro had a feeling that he wouldn't exactly get along very well with her.

"I've been through plenty of training, thank you very much. And who says I'm going to fight my brother?" Sasuke asked, still sounding annoyed.

"You two will be going whether you like it or not. Besides, Sasuke's had enough training to survive out there," Kabuto pointed out.

"Stay out of this," was all Orochimaru said. Chihiro sighed. It was hopeless to argue against her lord.

"Very well, my lord. When do we leave?"

"Tomorrow, at midnight. It is a new moon," Orochimaru said. Chihiro nodded and disappeared, leaving a slightly puzzled looking Sasuke to her lord and Kabuto.

Chihiro reappeared in her small room and began to pack. She was well known as the girl who went into the Forest of Death and supervised it for any foreign ninjas trying to enter Konoha without permission after her apprenticeship with Tsunade. It was pretty lame, but it was a good cover. No one dared to go inside the Forest of Death unless they were required to.

She sensed Sasuke's chakra signal reappear in the next room. Chihiro frowned. She couldn't sleep very well in here because of him. Now that he "was so close to defeating Itachi," she sensed he had dreams of doing exactly that. But at some times, he would wake up screaming or whimpering; unlike the cool mask he wore when he was awake. Even some times, she heard him say, "Risa...," which made her wonder who this Risa was.

She didn't mean to go against her lord, but the more Chihiro thought of her punishment, it seemed more and more ridiculous. What did Sasuke do? He was supposed to watch the battle unfold, and he did exactly that. Then, if she did go with him, wouldn't he get recognized? He was a missing-nin after all. ANBU would kill him in instant. She paced the room, already having packed what little belongings she had. Kabuto came into the room.

"Having second thoughts?" He asked, a smirk playing on his face. Chihiro scowled.

"Shut up," she snarled. She punched him, shattering his glasses and giving him a nosebleed. That apprenticeship with Tsunade really helped her. He staggered back. It looked like his nose was broken. Chihiro smiled widely. Sasuke came in, having heard the commotion. He looked at the blood leaking from Kabuto's face, to a smirking and contented looking Chihiro, and then back to the broken glasses on the floor. He couldn't help but smirk himself. Chihiro turned to face Sasuke.

"All packed?" He nodded. Kabuto glared at Chihiro, already healing. She could see his skin coming together, healing him.

"That's gross. If you're gonna do it, do it somewhere else," said Sasuke. (He had this look: O.O) Chihiro suppressed a laugh.

"Okay, you two better got out of my room. NOW," she added. They were getting annoying—at least to Chihiro. Sasuke, however, only shrugged. For some reason, he liked being in Chihiro's company. It made him feel like he was with Risa.

Kabuto walked out of the room and Sasuke disappeared in a _poof_ of smoke. Chihiro sighed. She wiped what little of Kabuto's blood off the floor and went to the nursery, where she was greeted by Takara, Eiji, and Akeno.

"What happened? You were gone for a really long time, and then we heard Kabuto-sama come out of the building," Takara spoke up first. Eiji nodded, his eyes full of curiosity.

"Okay, guys. Let's get inside the nursery. It's getting cold outside. Might not help that cold you have, Eiji." She raised an eyebrow at him and they went inside. The fire in the front room of the rickety building warmed them instantly. Akeno shivered.

"Wow, it's cold out there. Not good for me," he said. Chihiro smiled. Akeno specialized in fire arts. He could manipulate and make fire. The crackling fire in here was his work.

"Can we practice controlling our chakra in here?" Eiji asked eagerly. Without waiting for an answer, he clasped his hands again and walked to one of the wooden beams supporting the building, and started walking up. No one said a word as he ascended. Chihiro, personally, wanted to see if they were practicing while she was gone. He was going halfway up and then, without warning, he fell. Chihiro ran forward and caught him right before he hit the ground. He grinned.

"Let go. I still have to practice some more." He squirmed in her arms. "Akeno can do it perfectly, though. Well, kind of." She looked over at Akeno with her eyebrow raised, but he just shrugged. Eiji was flailing his arms and legs now and she finally let go. He regained his balance on the floor and pointed a finger at Chihiro. "Don't you worry, Hiro-chan! I'll get it right sooner or later. They did!" He pointed his finger to Takara and Akeno. "Takara can stay on the longest! She stayed on for an entire 2 minutes!!"

"Two minutes, huh? Looks like you need a bit more practice," Chihiro said, crossing her arms. Ejij's face lit up and he nodded fervently. She laughed, seeing his expression. "Not now, you guys. Your chakra will burn a hole in the beams. And if the nursery comes down, you're going to have to camp out in the forest at night." A knock came at the door, leaving the kids with scared expressions. She opened it, to see Sasuke. "Hi, Sasuke. Umm... what a nice surprise?" She said, but she couldn't help herself. Chihiro thought that the nursery, out of all places, would be the last one that Sasuke-kun would ever step foot in.

"Don't mind me, I'm looking for something to do," he said, and shrugged.

"And that would be watching three kids run around and chase each other?" Chihiro asked quizzically. Usually, he would be out training, no matter what the weather. But why was he coming here? Behind her, she heard the three young ninjas cheer. She turned around and gave them a meaningful look. They grinned. She found Sasuke smiling as she turned back to him.

"I really do feel sorry for you. You should train a lot more than just taking care of them. Let Kabuto do it," Sasuke said in a surprisingly gentle voice.

"I can't. They won't listen to anyone else but me. And I'll train when I have the time," Chihiro said, and walked back to Eiji, Takara, and Akeno. "You guys go and play, okay?"

"But, Hiro-Chan...You promised to play with us..." Takara said, pouting. Chihiro smiled.

"Not now, okay? I'm gonna go train with Sasuke-kun," she said, bending down to receive the hug Takara was offering her.

"Don't lose to him!" said Eiji as Chihiro and Sasuke walked out.

* * *

He waited rather patiently in the cover of the forest as Chihiro gathered her chakra. He knew that she knew where he was, but he decided to stay there and wait. But he really wasn't that alert. She wouldn't need this much time to gather her chakra. She had great amounts of it. Great amounts that Sasuke would gain soon enough.

Meanwhile, Chihiro crept behind him, and used the Eight Trigrams One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms, catching him by surprise.

He felt her chakra signal appear behind him. It was minuscule, but he managed to keep track. It was too late for him to make a move. Sasuke felt her strike his chakra points. It grew, from two, to four, to eight, until he couldn't keep track anymore. He crumpled to the ground, fighting unconsciousness. It wasn't fair that she got to use her family bloodline jutsu. Next time, he would, too.

It wasn't long until he passed out.

He regained consciousness on ground under the grateful shade of a tree, with Chihiro leaning over him, tending to his wounds. He felt her wipe blood from his mouth and check his heart rate.

"Oh, good. You're awake. How do you feel? I'm sorry. I almost killed you. I'm so sorry," she rambled. He wanted to tell her so many things. That he couldn't be killed that easily, to actually congratulate her for beating him for the second time, and that he could recover and take care of himself. That was a bit of an understatement though. He felt like all he couldn't move, and it practically took all his energy to just remain conscious. All his limbs and muscles were practically frozen in place and all he could do was to let Chihiro keep taking care of him and keep breathing. She must've damaged him pretty hard. Of course. One Hundred Twenty-Eight Palms sealed his chakra twice and even the curse mark could barely break through. He fought desperately against the seal for a while, and let it take over his body. He felt a burning sensation in his body, as if everything was on fire. Then he fainted.

But all that came out was, "Uhhhggg…" He could practically see Chihiro's face panicking he felt gentle tugs on various parts of the body. She was working hard to not block the chakra points, but to unblock them. His leaden muscles lifted little by little, but in the end, Sasuke couldn't move at all. He did try however, but when he did, he just trembled, which made Chihiro lay a gentle but firm hand on his back to steady him.

Inside, though, Sasuke liked the care he received. No one but Risa gave him all their attention to him when he was hurt. Not even Kakashi-Sensei. Suddenly, a flood of memories came back as he thought of Team 7. Of course, they hadn't been the best friends or had the best teamwork, but they supported each other. And Naruto…his first best friend. They—and Risa—were the only things that made him regret coming here.

"How do you feel, Sasuke?" asked Chihiro, knocking him out of his thoughts. He just nodded, making it appear as normal as possible.

She grabbed his arm, making him sit up and lean against the tree. Sasuke groaned. Chihiro did a quick healing jutsu, and in a moment, all his cuts were no more. Chihiro stepped back as the curse mark spread once more and sent Sasuke into another spasm. His scream filled the air, and finally Kabuto decided to step in. he sent Chihiro a signal to bring him back. She picked Sasuke up and carried him like potato sack, his head resting on Chihiro's back. He was barely breathing and soon the curse mark would take over. She jumped from tree to tree, rushing to the front of Orochimaru's building.

"What happened?" Kabuto asked, his glasses reflecting off the light as he performed a complicated jutsu to make Sasuke's curse mark recede.

"I hit him with One hundred Twenty Eight Palms." He nodded grimly.

"Well, it'll take me awhile, but he'll be okay in time for the trip," Kabuto said with a sigh. Chihiro's insides flooded with relief. She walked back to her room, making sure one last time that everything was packed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto, and the only character I own is Chihiro and some other ppl you will be seeing later in the future.**

**For those of you asking, Risa's story will be on soon. She's a character of my friend's.**

Chihiro walked into Sasuke's room, where he was sleeping soundly. He was mumbling.  
"Risa, no! Don't let him hurt me! Risa…"

Chihiro frowned. Poor kid. She was in no condition to call him that though. She was only about 14, the same age as him.

"No!! Brother! Why did you do this to me?!" he screamed, and Chihiro cringed. She decided to wake him up now.

"Sasuke, it's time for us to go. Sasuke..." Chihiro shook his shoulder. He shrugged it off. She tried again, but harder.

"Uhhhhhh..." he rolled over and slowly got up. "It's time?" He said, rubbing his eyes and making himself look like a child. Chihiro smiled slightly. Sasuke seemed to come to his senses, and noticed that Chihiro wasn't in her usual Sound garb. He cocked his head to the side.

"I guess I better change too..." He said, getting out of bed slowly. Chihiro flinched again. He was still recovering. She got out of the room to give him some privacy.

A few minutes later, he was dressed in an official ANBU cloak and mask.

"Nice outfit," Chihiro said and grinned. Sasuke could see it, despite the faint light surrounding them. He looked at her. She had showered, resulting in damp black hair that stuck to the side of her face and clung onto her clothes. Chihiro noticed him looking at her and pulled at her hair, suddenly self-conscious. Sasuke blinked. After a while, he looked away. There was an awkward silence between them.

Chihiro turned around to take her bag—the slightest hint of a blush on her cheeks—and when she got back, Sasuke wasn't there. She went to the front of the building, where he was waiting, practically hiding in his cloak. Chihiro turned on her Byakugan. She could see Kabuto—who was watching them to make sure that they left safely, Lord Orochimaru, the kids, and others in the Sound village. She could see everyone—except for Sasuke, even though he was right in front of her. The ANBU cloak was made to veil the wearer's chakra. If Chihiro couldn't see it, no one else could. She turned off her Byakugan and he came into view once more. He cocked his head to the side and she nodded.

"All set. Are you ready?" He nodded wordlessly.

Chihiro and Sasuke shot up in the air, unseen streaks of black, and vanished into the darkness.

OoOoOoOo

They had been going for quite a while, at least two or three hours, or that's what Chihiro thought. Sasuke had slowed his pace to match Chihiro's. Being a Hyuuga, she was an efficient taijustsu user, and could be up to the challenge of catching up with Sasuke. Sasuke, being the "gentleman" that he was, slowed down.

After a while, though, they had to stop.

"Wait," Chihiro said. Sasuke sighed.

"Why are we stopping?" Chihiro just put up a finger and grabbed two hair ribbons—red ones—and put it between her lips. Sasuke watched, and Chihiro could feel his concentrated gaze on her. She worked quickly, her fingers nimbly working her hair into two buns at the side of her head. Bunches of hair was let down behind the elaborate bun. Chihiro looked up and met his stare right in the eyes, challenging him to do anything about it.

"I need to retain my 'royal' look for my family," she explained gruffly. She didn't like this hairstyle. She'd rather have the "ponytail with her front hair covering her cheeks" style. It was easier to move that way and less...embarrassing. Sasuke nodded and smiled slightly in understanding.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the Hyuuga compound.


	6. Chapter 6

**Okay, you better pull up your chair, get a drink, and get the heck comfortable. I have a lot to say. But first:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto and the characters of the manga/show. I'm simply making them do my bidding as shown in this fanfiction.**

**Okay, first of all, many kudos to those who reviewed, you guys are the ones keeping me going and updating, so as I update more, I hope the number of reviews will increase along with the number of chapters. And uber thanks to NyNyFiction--er, I mean LightingWings--as she is my first reviewer and left her mark in each chapter. You were the one keeping me going through the hardest times of chapters 1-4. **

**Secondly, Risa's story is on! Go and check it out. The story's name is Crimson Eyes and a Bloody Heart. Go on, read, and review! She needs some support right now. It's WAY better than this story. And those of you wondering, you should probably read her story before you read the chapter that has Risa in it as it will make WAY more sense. **

**Last, can I at least get a little more reviews? I mean, I don't mean to be demanding, but I seriously need other people to review. Can some of you guys tell your friends to read this story and see what they think of it? Even flaming is allowed, as it will help me improve my writing. Anonymous reviews are on so those of you guys that haven't created an account and you are reading this, you guys can have a say! **

**Okay, whew. Glad I got that over with. On to the story.**

* * *

Neji's POV:

It was a sleepy dusk as I woke up. But the atmosphere around me wasn't. I could sense everyone's anxiety, even as they were sleeping. Their mood troubled me, and it wasn't long until I remembered the words Hiashi had uttered to me the night before.

"Neji, tomorrow, a legacy will visit us. She will be treated with the utmost respect, do you understand? She will arrive in the early morning, with an ANBU companion of hers. Get up early in the morning to help the family prepare."

Whatever. Few were awake anyway. And if I were to help them now, the Hyuuga clan would be a grouchy bunch, having been woken up too early. No, I don't think so. Anyway, how could this person be a prodigy if even I hadn't heard of her?

I walked outside, training in mind, when Hanabi jumped in front of me.

"Good morning, Hanabi-san. Very early in the morning to be exact. Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?"

"I can't," she said, her wide eyes innocent, but her look murderous as her gaze traveled to my face. "But isn't it weird that this 'prodigy' is coming to the village and while everyone's getting so worked up over her,"—she raised her eyebrows at this—"And we've never heard of her? And she's supposedly the same age as you too…"

I had to admit, Hanabi is one of the most annoying people I have ever met, and I would try to avoid people like her all my life, but she can be useful at times. If gossip is flying around the Hyuuga clan, her ears would be one of the first to catch it. And she would tell me.

"Hanabi, do you mind if I got some training in before she came?" I asked politely, as to not upset the next Hyuuga clan heir. She stepped aside to let me continue on the training grounds.

An hour later, I saw her through my Byakugan, just as an incident from my training. Was she an angel? Well, she certainly was wearing almost all white. Fast too. I had to be there when she comes. And I can see her ANBU companion. Who is it?

* * *

Sasuke's POV:

Somewhere along the way, Chihiro's hair had dried, and later, she had to hold it up with a couple ribbons for the Hyuugas. I really don't get the point in this. If the Hyuugas are as strong as they proclaim, why are their looks concerned? Maybe it's because of Chihiro and the fact that she is a spy and that is part of her routine when she switches loyalties? Or is it both?

So many memories of Konoha have invaded my mind since we've crossed the border of the fire nation. I know that I will be seeing my dear adopted sister, Risa, again, even though it breaks my heart to let her see what I have become. She was so gentle, and Itachi had broken her heart. I know she hides it well, but not well enough to conceal it completely away from me. Sometimes, before I ran away, I would hear her sobs in the next room, engulfed in the darkness of the night. And yet, this gives me another reason to destroy Itachi. His path of suffering shall be no more, and hopefully Risa's scars will heal over time, and she will find another love, although I know mine never will.

We're standing in the gateway of the village, prepared. I know Chihiro noticed my thoughtful state, but she hasn't questioned it. It will be better for her if she doesn't. She is strong, much stronger than me, and perhaps as an equal to Kakashi and Kabuto. And I will have to overcome her if I am to defeat Itachi. She is the hurdle I must jump over—and one of the hardest ones so far.

I looked over at her and she nodded. In a poof of lotus petals, we disappeared out of the gateway and into the Hyuuga compound, where Hyuuga Neji was waiting for us, his Byakugan on and trying to comprehend who we were.

* * *

Neji's POV:

And so I waited in front of gateway, my all-seeing eyes telling me that they were in the front of the gates. I smelled something. Was it perfume? No, it should have been attached to someone if it was, and no one was near me right now. I saw petals, white, delicate, and twirling in the air in front of me. I stepped to the side as they swirled faster and faster until two cloaked figures appeared, one white and one black, their faces hidden in their hoods. The lotus petals, finished with their performance, settled down on the ground beneath them. The white hooded figure was bending her knee with her foot on the ground and her hands bearing the sign of the teleportation jutsu, while the black one was standing, looking down onto the petal-covered ground.

The white cloak, graceful and lithe, walked up to me.

"Hello, Hyuuga Neji. Have you recognized me? My name is Chihiro." She took off her hood, revealing a teenage girl. From her ebony hair blowing in the slight breeze—a drastic contrast to her pale face—to her smiling opaque eyes and her discreet half-smile, something stirred inside of me.


	7. Chapter 7

**Okay, so I haven't updated in a while, but I have a reason for that. I was on vacation and was way too busy traveling to actually get my hands on a computer. But now I'm back with a new chapter.**

**Also, the vacation gave me tons of time to think about this story. As some of you may have realized, this story basically has no plot. I don't know where all my writing is leading up to in this story of mine. But now, I have a few surprises, which will be revealed later in the story. I actually like where I'm going with it now.**

**Many thanks to those who reviewed, I'm sorry to keep you guys waiting for this chapter. **

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Naruto, blah blah, blah blah. There. :P**

* * *

Neji's POV:

Well, I certainly had not expected this. A surprise if you will, but I had no idea who this girl was, yet she knew me—well, at least my name. Who was she to call me like that? To throw my name to the winds? Keeping my composure—and my dignity along with it, my genius answer was:

"Who the hell are you?" Followed by my signature stare—er, glare. She threw her head back and laughed, a silvery sound.

"Neji, Neji, Neji. Are you sure you don't recognize me?" She asked, a smile on her face.

"If I had, I wouldn't be asking," I responded coldly, ignoring the little voice in my head reminding me what Hiashi had told me the night before: _'She must be treated with the utmost respect.'_ 'Well, screw that now. It's too late,' I combated the voice. The black-cloak walked near her, and I was suddenly reminded of the Chuunin exams, where the Uchiha and Kakashi-sama made a dramatic appearance. Why is that nagging at the back of my head?

"Well, they certainly haven't been filling you in about me, now have they? Hmm…I'll tell you what. I'll ask Hiashi to introduce me. Oh, and I've been watching you fight in the Chuunin exams. Strong, but, not strong enough. Are you sure you haven't been training as much as you claim to be? 'Cause if you can't even beat the Kyuubi vessel, then you certainly can't beat me." She winked at me.

"You—..." I pulled back my arm, ready to punch. No one, no matter how strong they seem to be—especially not a girl—can insult me that way. How was she to know me to do that?

"NEJI! Don't …you…dare," came a voice from behind. I recognized it immediately as Hiashi. "Don't you have any respect whatsoever for ones greater than you?" he came closer, his eyes softening as he viewed the cloaked figures. I drew my arm back. They obviously recognized each other.

"Hiashi…Neji has grown up quite a bit…to actually lunge at someone he doesn't seem to know—or so he claims."

"I'm sorry. I'd rather he'd know the truth when you can tell him in person," he said and bowed. I scoffed. I didn't even know the truth about my father until a few months ago! And he's going to hold the truth from me again?! I knew the main branch members couldn't be trusted. So I did what I always do. And walked away. Why were the strongest and best women I've ever come to meet have to be so annoying?

"Wait!" I heard Chihiro's voice. I sighed and turned around. "I'll spar with you if you want, later." I just nodded.

"I'll be at the training grounds…IF you even know where it is," I said with a smirk. She smiled, walked back to Hiashi as I turned my back on them.

3rd POV:

Hiashi uttered a silent sigh of relief. Neji was NEVER to know the truth about Chihiro.

He looked over to Chihiro. Her hair was hastily put together, and she had grown from the time Hiashi had seen her last. And there was something about her ANBU companion that gave a sinister feeling to her visit.

"Well, I suppose my old room is still here, so I might as well go there and unpack what little things I have." With a smile and a look to her masked friend, they disappeared in a poof of lotus-scented smoke.

Hiashi went away, thinking. It had been ages since he had seen, or even talked to, Chihiro. He hadn't received news of her for nearly half a year. Either Tsunade hadn't bothered to send him reports on what she was doing, or how she was, unless there was absolutely nothing to report. If there was, she could have just told him. No. Tsunade was lazy, but she wasn't careless. What had happened in that time where Chihiro disappeared? The Forest of Death isn't that far away. She'd been in there a little too long, she should have been submitting reports to the Hokage if not everyday, but maybe a few times a month.

He sighed. There really was something about her. As soon as she came home after running away and pretending everything was fine, there was a suspicious air around her and the lies she weaved.

Hiashi didn't know what was going on with her suddenly deciding to come back home after 6 months in the Forest of Death either, but one thing was for sure. He was going to find out, no matter what.

* * *

Chihiro sat down on her thin mattress. Sasuke was scanning the small and plain room.

"So where am I supposed to sleep?" He asked Chihiro, gesturing to the twin-size bed. Chihiro smiled.

"That bed's for you. I have to borrow a mattress from Hiashi." She sighed. "Wow, this place brings back so many memories…it's so nostalgic, just even standing here in my old room." She set down her bag on Sasuke's bed anyway. He decided not to say anything. She sighed again. "Well, I gotta go to the training grounds now. I have to show little Neji a little something." She smiled. This was the most times in a day that Sasuke had seen her smile before. She must be glad to be back home. Sasuke watched with envy as she walked out the door, a spring in her step. At least she had a home to go back to, even if half of her family had no idea who she was.

* * *

Neji's POV:

I got to the training grounds a little early to get in some practice. But it wasn't needed. My anger had dissolved, leaving behind a core of determination and a small sense of indignity. I would beat her, and show the main branch that I wasn't to be played around with. I would show her. I'd show them all.

A while later, she showed up with another chakra signal near her—her ANBU friend. He gave me a creeping suspicion every time I sensed him in my presence. He hopped on the roof of a looming house, a mere, single person in the stands, watching the battle.

I turned to her. Her posture was relaxed, her face amused and—dare I say—bubbly.

"Alright, let's get this over with," I said, and lunged at her. She tore away at the last minute, teleported to the shelter of the trees. I realized this a little too late, as I clutched at thin air. I regained my balance and smirked. This is going to be an interesting battle.


End file.
